Angled collapsible container

ABSTRACT

A container having a body convertible from a fully collapsed configuration to a fully expanded configuration, the body comprising a substantially rigid rim extending about at least a most of the upper edges of front, back and side walls, a substantially rigid bottom member and a flexible middle section extending around of the front, back and side walls between the substantially rigid rim and the substantially rigid bottom member, said flexible middle section including two or more living hinges, wherein when the body is in its fully open configuration the side walls at the front wall have a height less than the side walls at the back wall and the living hinges diverge as they extend from the front wall to the back wall.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to kitchen accessories, and moreparticularly to a collapsible container which, when in an openconfiguration, has a front wall that is of a lower height than a backwall.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Some types of containers may be suited for a configuration where thefront wall is lower than the back wall. For example, bins for storage ofmultiple small items on shelves may have a lower front to permit theuser to see into and remove the items contained therein without removingthe bin from the shelf. Additionally, items such as dust pans or scoopsare configured with a lower front wall than back wall, even if the frontwall is nothing more than the height of the thinnest material making upthe bottom of the item.

The use of containers with a lower front wall than back wall may also beexpanded into items that are not commonly known to have a lower frontwall than back wall. For example, most dish racks have front, back andside walls that are of the same height, with a notable exception beingfound in U.S. Pat. No. 2,954,875, which includes a side wall having aninwardly and downwardly shaped side wall only in the area immediatelyadjacent the front wall.

With particular respect to dish racks, when washing dishes alone, i.e.,when there is not one person washing and a second person drying, it isusually impractical to dry a dish or utensil after it is washed andbefore washing the next. Therefore, dish racks have been widely used tostack washed dishes and utensils prior to drying, allowing the wetdishes and utensils to drip while the person washing the dishes andutensils complete all of the items to be washed prior to drying.

For ease of reference, dishes and utensils, as well as bowls, cups, potsand pans and/or other related items generally washed by hand in akitchen environment, will be hereinafter referred to as items. In someinstances the terms “dishes” will be used to refer generally to dishes,bowls, cups, pots, pans, and the like and “utensils” will be used torefer generally to knives, spoons, forks, serving spoons, ladles,spatulas, scissors and the like.

However, dish racks, like other containers that may be manufactured tohave lower front and higher back walls, are well known in the art tousually be bulky items that are difficult to store when not in use. Forthis reason, many people leave a dish rack on the counter next to thesink rather than find a place to store it. Of course, this may beconsidered visually unappealing when entertaining guests or even whenthe owner seeks to maintain an uncluttered kitchen.

Because of this, dish racks have been designed that can be folded ordisassembled into smaller items. Examples of folding dish racks can befound in U.S. Pat. No. 4,221,299 and U.S. Patent Application PublicationNo. 2008/0283480. In these types of devices, the dish racks are made ofa plurality of components, at least some of which are pivotallyconnected, so that pivoting the component parts changes the device froma stored configuration to an open configuration capable of accepting wetitems to drip.

Other attempts to provide a dish rack that can be adapted into a closedconfiguration are seen in U.S. Design Pat. Nos. D586,061 and D599,069.These devices, however, generally have an even height about the top edgeof the front, back and side walls and either fit over a sink, making itdifficult to wash dishes in a smaller area, or sit on a counter, wherethe items need to be lifted over the walls of the device to place theminto or remove them from the dish rack.

Notwithstanding the above, there is a need for a better container havinga lower front wall than back wall, which can be stored in smaller spacesand can allow the user to easily place items into and remove items fromthe container.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a container having a bodyconvertible from a fully closed or collapsed configuration to a fullyopen or expanded configuration, said body comprising a front wall, aback wall, a first side wall, a second side wall and an internal floor,each of the front, back and side walls having an upper edge and a loweredge, wherein when the container is in its fully open configuration thefront wall has a height less than a height of the back wall, said bodyhaving a substantially rigid upper rim extending about at least amajority of the sum of the upper edges of the front, back and sidewalls, a substantially rigid bottom member and a flexible middle sectionextending around a majority of the sum of the front, back and side wallsbetween the substantially rigid rim and substantially rigid bottommember, said flexible middle section including two or more living hingeswhich diverge as they extend from the front wall to the back wall.

More particularly, and to ensure that the height of the front wall andthe height of the back wall are properly described even if not uniformacross the entire front and back walls, it is understood that thedescription includes a container wherein, when the body is in its fullyexpanded configuration, the side walls at the front wall have a heightless than the side walls at the back wall and the living hinges divergeas they extend from the front wall to the back wall.

In summarizing the invention, it should be understood that the referenceto a wall can refer to an element that has a height no greater than thethickness of the floor or bottom of the container. This is especiallyimportant when the container is in the form of a dust pan or scoop,where the front wall having as shallow a dimension as possible may bepreferred. Notwithstanding, the present invention contemplates that theheight of the front wall at the side walls is less than the height ofthe back wall at the side walls, and preferably that the entire frontwall has a height which is less than the average height of the backwall, and most preferably that the height of the entire front wall isless than the height of any portion of the back wall.

Moreover, the front, back and side walls may themselves form afoundation at the lower edge related to the bottom member on which thecontainer can rest. Optionally, a base, feet or legs may be included onthe underside of the bottom member of the container. Therefore, insteadof merely resting the bottom member of the container on a surface, thecontainer can rest on feet or a base when placed on a horizontal surfacesuch as a counter, shelf, floor or the like.

Moreover, the walls need not be vertical to fall within the spirit ofthe invention, with at least the back and side walls preferablyextending farther outward, away from the interior of the container, asthey extend upward from the bottom member when in a fully openconfiguration. Of course, the front wall may be formed to angle inwardas it extends upward, especially when used as a dust pan, scoop or thelike, to more easily accept contents being moved into the containeracross the front wall, or the wall may have a feature formed thereon orconnected thereto with such and inward angle.

The container may have an outwardly extending portion on the rim for theuser to be able to lift, support or move the container, for ease ofhandling the container in either an open or closed configuration.Alternatively, the container may include a handle, preferablyincorporated into the rim, for lifting, supporting or moving thecontainer in an open or closed configuration.

In a particular version of the angled collapsible container, the presentinvention is directed to a dish rack having a body convertible from afully closed or collapsed configuration to a fully open or expandedconfiguration, said body comprising a front wall, a back wall, a firstside wall, a second side wall and a floor, each of the front, back,first side wall and second side wall having an upper edge and a loweredge, wherein when the dish rack is in its fully open configuration, thefront wall has a height less than a height of the back wall, said bodyhaving a substantially rigid upper rim extending about at least amajority of the sum of the upper edges of the front, back and sidewalls, a substantially rigid bottom member and a flexible middle sectionextending about at least a majority of the sum of the front, back andside walls between the substantially rigid rim and substantially rigidbottom member, said flexible middle section including two or more livinghinges which diverge as they extend from the front wall toward the backwall.

In the preferred embodiment, the living hinges on the flexible middlesection are provided on at least a portion of the side walls but not onthe front wall. This embodiment permits the side and rear walls tocollapse according the respective heights, leaving the collapsedcontainer substantially flat from front to back. Most preferably, theside and rear walls permit the container to collapse with the respectiveheights of the side and rear walls to be lower than the height of therigid rim when viewed from a side elevation.

The rim of the dish rack preferably includes an outwardly extendingportion at the upper edge for the user to be able to lift, support ormove the container, for ease of handling the container in either an openor closed configuration.

The dish rack preferably includes a removable tray, with raisedretention features and drain holes, and/or a removable utensil holder tohold and separate items placed in the dish rack. The tray and/or utensilholder are preferably removable from the body to ease the cleaning ofthe dish rack, including the ability to place the body, tray and utensilholder in a dishwasher for cleaning.

The tray preferably fits over the entire floor of the body. Raiseddetents, preferably formed either on the bottom surface of the tray oron the top surface of the floor of the body, are contemplated to allowwater dripping from the wet items placed in the dish rack and throughthe drain holes to rest on the floor of the dish rack without touchingthe items drying. The utensil holder preferably includes holderretention members that engage cooperating body retention members toretain the utensil holder, preferably near the top of the dish rack,when installed.

It is also preferred that the front wall of the body have a convertiblefront lip which can be adapted from a drain position, where the frontlip is lower than the floor of the body so as to permit the water todrain out of the body into an adjacent sink, to a dam position, wherethe front lip is higher than the floor of the body to retain water thathas dripped from the wet items in the body.

Of course, the container of the present invention formed as a bin wouldbe substantially the same as the dish rack, however, the tray and/orutensil holders would likely not be needed. Notwithstanding, internalelements may be incorporated in the bin, such as dividers, shelves orthe like that are commonly used with bins.

Although the substantially rigid rim can be formed of a plastic materialwith a smooth finish, it is preferred that the lower edge or surface ofthe substantially rigid bottom member, or any base formed below thesubstantially rigid bottom, include a lower edge, surface or feet coatedwith an elastomeric material, such as a thermoplastic elastomericmaterial as would be used for the middle section. Such an elastomericcoating on the lower edge, surface or feet of the bottom or base isintended to keep the container from slipping on a surface, such as acountertop, on which the container may be used.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The attached drawings are intended to better illustrate a preferredembodiment of the present invention without limiting the invention inany manner whatsoever.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the container of the present inventionin the embodiment of a dish rack in its fully open configuration.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the container of the present invention in theembodiment of a dish rack in its fully open configuration.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the container of the present inventionin the embodiment of a dish rack in its fully open configuration withits tray and utensil holder removed.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the tray of the container of the presentinvention in the embodiment of a dish rack.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the utensil holder of the container ofthe present invention in the embodiment of a dish rack.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the container of the present invention in theembodiment of a dish rack in its fully closed configuration.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the container of the present invention in theembodiment of a scoop in its open configuration.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the container of the present inventionin the embodiment of a scoop as shown in FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following description of preferred embodiment is presented todescribe the present invention and is not to be construed to limit thescope of the invention in any manner whatsoever.

As best shown in the drawings, and particularly FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 6, thepreferred embodiment of the present invention is directed to a container2 having a body 4 convertible from a fully collapsed configuration to afully expanded configuration. The body 4 comprises a front wall 6, aback wall 8, a first side wall 10, a second side wall 12 and a floor 14,each of the front 6, back 8 and side walls 10, 12 having an upper edge16 and a lower edge 18, wherein when the container 2 is in its fullyopen configuration, the front wall 6 has a height from the lower edge 18to the upper edge 16 that is less than a height from the lower edge 18to the upper edge 16 at the back wall 8.

The body 4 also has a substantially rigid upper rim 20 extending aboutat least a majority of the sum of the upper edges 16 of the front 6,back 8 and side walls 10, 12, a substantially rigid bottom member 22 anda flexible middle section 24 extending about a majority of the sum ofthe front 6, back 8 and side walls 10, 12 between the substantiallyrigid rim 20 and substantially rigid bottom member 22. The flexiblemiddle section 24 is preferably formed of a thermoplastic elastomericmaterial and includes two or more living hinges 26 which diverge as theyextend from the front wall 6 to the back wall 8.

The rim 20 of the body 4 is shown to include an outwardly extendingportion 28 (see FIG. 2 or 6) about at least a portion of the rim 20 forthe user to be able to lift, support or move the container 2, for easeof handling the container 2 in either an open or closed configuration.Alternatively, the container 2 may include a handle 50, preferablyincorporated into or with the rim, for lifting, supporting or moving thecontainer 2 when in either an open or closed configuration.

The preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-6, which can be any containersuch as dish rack or bin that is intended to rest on a flat surface,also includes a base 30 on the bottom member 22 for resting thecontainer 2 on a horizontal surface. Of course, such a container 2 thatis intended to rest on a flat surface does not require a base 30 but canrest on the bottom member 22, with or without an elastomeric materialcovering, or have other stand members as a matter of design choice. Inthis regard, it is understood that stand members other than a base 30can include feet, legs, bumpers or the like (not shown) which can beincorporated on the container 2 and preferably on or into the bottommember 22.

In the preferred embodiment, rim 20 and bottom 22 are formed of asubstantially rigid plastic, and preferably an acrylonitrile butadienestyrene (ABS), and the middle portion 24 is formed of a flexibleelastomeric material, preferably a thermoplastic elastomeric material.Although the rim 20 and bottom member 22 can be formed of a plasticmaterial with a smooth finish, it is preferred that the bottom surfaceof the bottom member 22, or any base 30, feet, legs or bumpers formedbelow the bottom member 22, have an elastomeric coating, preferably of athermoplastic elastomeric material as used for the flexible middlesection 24, to keep the container 2 from slipping on a surface, such asa countertop, when in use.

The living hinges 26 on the flexible middle section 24 are provided onat least a portion of the side walls 10, 12 but preferably not on thefront wall 6, or at least not on the entire front wall 6, diverging asthe living hinges 26 extend from at or near the front wall 6 toward theback wall 8. This embodiment permits the side walls 10, 12 and rear wall8 to collapse according the respective heights, leaving the collapsedcontainer 2 substantially flat from the front wall 6 to the back wall 8(see FIG. 6). Especially preferred is where the respective heights ofthe side walls 10, 12 and rear wall 8 are less than the height of theupper edge 16 of the rim 20 when in its collapsed configuration, asshown in FIG. 6.

The container 2 can include any additional elements that may be desiredfor particular uses. As shown here, the container 2 can be used as adish rack, which preferably includes a removable tray 32, with raisedretention features 34 and drain holes 36, and/or a removable utensilholder 38 to hold and separate items placed in the dish rack. The tray32 and/or utensil holder 38 are preferably removable from the body 4 toease the cleaning of the dish rack and its component parts, includingthe ability to place the body 4, tray 32 and utensil holder 38 into adishwasher for cleaning.

The tray 32, best seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, preferably fits over the entirefloor 14 of the body 4. Raised detents 40, preferably formed either onthe bottom surface of the tray 32 (not shown) or on the top surface ofthe floor 14 of the body 4 (shown in FIG. 3), are contemplated to allowwater dripping from the wet items placed on the tray 32 and through thedrain holes 36 to rest on the floor 14 of the dish rack without touchingthe items drying.

The preferred removable utensil holder 38 (shown in FIG. 5), includesone or more dividers 42 to help maintain taller items in a substantiallyvertical orientation. The preferred utensil holder 38 includes holderretention members 44 that engage cooperating body retention members 46on the body 4 to retain the utensil holder 38 on the body 4. The bodyretention members 46, as shown in FIG. 3, are preferably placed on therim 20 near the top of the dish rack, so that the distance from the tray32 to the utensil holder 38 is maximized when installed.

It is also preferred that the container 2, when used as a dish rack,have a convertible front lip 48 on at least a portion of the front wall8 of the body 4 that can be adapted from a drain position, where thefront lip 48 is lower than the floor 14 of the body 4 so as to permitthe water to drain out of the body 4 into an adjacent sink, to a damposition, where the front lip 48 is higher than the floor 14 of the body4 to retain water that has dripped from the wet items onto the floor 14of the body 4.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the container 2 can be used with a handle 50when in the form of a scoop, dustpan or the like. In these embodiments,there may be a reduced need for the rim 20 to diverge outwardly forlifting the container 2, since the handle 50 may be used to lift andmanipulate the container 2. Moreover, there may be a reduced need forthe use of a base 30, feet or bumpers on the rigid bottom member 22,since it is not anticipated that there will be a need to stand theseitems on the rigid bottom 22. Instead, the handle 50 would preferablyinclude a hang hole 52 to hang the scoop or dust pan when collapsed andnot in use. Notwithstanding, the container 2 side walls 10, 12 and rearwall 8 are less than the height of the upper edge 16 of the rim 20 whenin its collapsed configuration, as described above.

Variations, modifications and alterations to the above detaileddescription will be apparent to those skilled in the art. All suchvariations, modifications and/or alternatives are intended to fallwithin the scope of the present invention, limited only by any allowedclaims. All cited patents and publications are hereby incorporated byreference.

We claim:
 1. A dish rack comprising a body convertible from a fullycollapsed configuration to a fully expanded configuration, said bodycomprising a front wall, a back wall, a first side wall, a second sidewall, a substantially rigid rim extending about at least a majority of asum of upper edges of the front, back and side walls, a substantiallyrigid bottom member and a flexible middle section extending around amajority of a sum of the front, back and side walls between thesubstantially rigid rim and the substantially rigid bottom member, saidflexible middle section including two or more living hinges on the sidewalls, wherein when the body is in its fully expanded configuration theside walls at the front wall have a height less than the side walls atthe back wall and the living hinges diverge as they extend from thefront wall to the back wall.
 2. The dish rack of claim 1 furthercomprising a removable tray comprising drain holes.
 3. The dish rack ofclaim 2 wherein the removable tray further comprises one or moreretention members for holding items on the removable tray.
 4. The dishrack of claim 2 wherein the body further comprises an internal floor andthe tray covers the entire internal floor of the body.
 5. The dish rackof claim 2 further comprising one or more detents between an internalfloor of the body and the bottom surface of the tray to raise a bottomsurface of the tray above a top surface of the floor.
 6. The dish rackof claim 1 further comprising a utensil holder.
 7. The dish rack ofclaim 1 wherein the body further comprises an internal floor and thefront wall comprises a front lip, wherein the lowest point of the frontlip is lower than the internal floor to permit water to drain from theinternal floor.
 8. The dish rack of claim 7 wherein the front lip isconvertible from a drain position, where the front lip is lower than theinternal floor of the bottom member, to a dam position, where the frontlip is higher than the internal floor of the bottom member.
 9. The dishrack of claim 1 wherein the rigid rim extends outwardly as it extendsupwardly.
 10. The dish rack of claim 1 further comprising stand memberson which the body rests, said stand members taken from the groupconsisting of a base, one or more feet, one or more legs and one or morebumpers.
 11. The dish rack of claim 10 wherein the stand members areformed at least in part of an elastomeric material.
 12. The dish rack ofclaim 1 wherein the side walls and rear wall have respective heightsthat are less than the height of the upper edges of the side walls andrear wall when the body is in its fully collapsed configuration.
 13. Abin comprising a body convertible from a fully collapsed configurationto a fully expanded configuration, said body comprising a front wall, aback wall, a first side wall, a second side wall, a substantially rigidrim extending about at least a majority of a sum of upper edges of thefront, back and side walls, a substantially rigid bottom member and aflexible middle section extending around a majority of a sum of thefront, back and side walls between the substantially rigid rim and thesubstantially rigid bottom member, said flexible middle sectionincluding two or more living hinges on the side walls, wherein when thebody is in its fully expanded configuration the side walls at the frontwall have a height less than the side walls at the back wall and theliving hinges diverge as they extend from the front wall to the backwall.
 14. The bin of claim 13 further comprising dividers within thebin.
 15. The bin of claim 13 wherein the rigid rim extends outwardly asit extends upwardly.
 16. The bin of claim 13 further comprising standmembers on which the body rests, said stand members taken from the groupconsisting of a base, one or more feet, one or more legs and one or morebumpers.
 17. The bin of claim 16 wherein the stand members are formed atleast in part of an elastomeric material.
 18. The bin of claim 13wherein the side walls and rear wall have respective heights that areless than the height of the upper edges of the side walls and rear wallwhen the body is in its fully collapsed configuration.
 19. A containercomprising a body convertible from a fully collapsed configuration to afully expanded configuration and a handle, said body comprising a frontwall, a back wall, a first side wall, a second side wall, asubstantially rigid rim extending about at least a majority of a sum ofupper edges of the front, back and side walls, a substantially rigidbottom member and a flexible middle section extending around a majorityof a sum of the front, back and side walls between the substantiallyrigid rim and the substantially rigid bottom member, said flexiblemiddle section including two or more living hinges on the side walls,wherein when the body is in its fully expanded configuration the sidewalls at the front wall have a height less than the side walls at theback wall and the living hinges diverge as they extend from the frontwall to the back wall and further wherein the handle extends from therigid rim in the area of the back wall.
 20. The container of claim 19wherein the side walls and rear wall have respective heights that areless than the height of the upper edges of the side walls and rear wallwhen the body is in its fully collapsed configuration.